Introduction​

We returned to Abundancia in 2013, but instead of spending a short time there we stayed for a little over 2 months. We had 5 students that worked on projects  in our International Health class that got to implement them in person. Doctor Tyler Watson, another Public Health faculty was instrumental in providing us support and managed to come spend a week with us.

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Main Project- Summer School

 

    We left Idaho in January in -13 degree weather. We arrived in Abundancia during their summer and it was 113 degree. The Director of Humanitarian Projects for the Area had been concerned about their commitment to school and about teaching the children Spanish so that they can integrate better into the Paraguayan Society. Since the children were on summer break, we decided to develop and implement a Summer School Program.

    For five weeks a structured activity program was provided for children ages 3 to 11. As few as 40 children and sometimes as many as 90 children attended the different classes. Each day was full of games, activities and crafts. Some of the games included, duck duck goose, hot potato, hopscotch, Color game, sack races, puffball races, jump rope, bowling etc. Activities includes songs and dances such as Hoki Poki, do as I'm doing, children's songs such as Vaca Lechera, La Macarena. Some of the older children participated in stretching, exercises and sports.  Children participated in crafts which included, name tags, beadwork, bracelets and necklaces, coloring, cement chalk, water paints, snowflakes, valentine cards, pictures of families, paper chains etc. After a week of activities several moms would attend and enjoy their children's activities. We could see and hear their approval. After about three weeks of activities, we finally felt that we had built up enough trust in the community to start introducing our public health projects.